The present invention relates to bird feeders in general. More specifically, it relates to a bird feeder that provides a signal to scare off any pests that may be attempting to feed.
Bird feeders are known in the art. Typically a bird feeder consists of a hollow tube that is filled with bird feed. The type of feed varies with the type of bird the user would like to attract. There are feed holes in the side of the tube through which the bird may access the feed. There are also perch points such as pegs placed adjacent to the feed holes so that the bird may stand on the perch point while feeding.
This is an effective design to attract birds to the feeder so that the user may enjoy the sight of the birds. However, other animals also are attracted to the easily-acquired food such as squirrels. Squirrels, being large in comparison to most birds, eat great amounts of the feed and scare away the birds. Thus, the user is deprived of the enjoyment of watching the birds eat. It is advantageous, then, to have an apparatus which allows birds to access the food but keeps squirrels and other undesirable animals away.
Several designs have been proposed. It is known to put a constant voltage across various locations on the bird feeder, at such a distance that only a large animal, such as a squirrel, would be able to close the circuit, thereby sustaining a mild shock. However, this has the disadvantage of producing a constant voltage potential, and the inherent danger that it presents. Also, a desirable large bird might close the circuit and receive a shock, thereby being driven away. It is also known to use a weight-activated mechanism, taking advantage of the greater weight of the squirrel compared to a typical bird, to block access to the food itself when the squirrel alights on the feeder, or to activate a motor which gyrates the feeder until the squirrel is thrown off.